Health group’s no to funding hospital

Governors at Fylde and Wyre Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which organises and pays for residents healthcare, considered giving Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust its leftover cash for the year.

But they ultimately decided against the idea, documents revealed.

Hospital bosses are fighting to break even come the end of the financial year, which they need to to qualify for £7m government funding it has already budgeted for.

The CCG’s chief clinical officer Dr Tony Naughton (pictured) spoke of the ‘health economy’s financial position’ at a recent meeting before asking for input from governors.

“There was an option for the CCG to transact its surplus to support the Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Trust to meet its financial duties,” documents read.

“However, this could result in the CCG failing to meet its own financial duties and there was no guarantee the trust would still meet its duties.

“NHS England was clear in its expectations that all NHS bodies should meet their own individual organisational financial plans as agreed at the outset of the year.”

Dr Stephen Hardwick, a GP at Kirkham Health Centre, proposed that the CCG ‘continues on its plan to meet its own financial duties’.

Dr Tom Marland, a GP at Over Wyre Medical Centre, seconded the motion before members passed it by a majority vote.

The trust, which has to meet several government targets – including for A&E wait times – to land extra government money, is at risk of failing to deliver £22m of planned savings, and a minimum cash balance of £200,000 by March, its own documents have revealed.

In contrast, the trust had a bank balance of £27.4m in 2013. It recorded a deficit of £17m last year, more than an expected £11m.

It must break even to qualify for 70 per cent of a vital £10m Sustainability and Transformation Fund. It must hit A&E, referral, and cancer wait time targets for the rest.